Sunday Review (on Monday) July 26, 2010: Fill in the Blank

This week, I am going to recap by filling in the blanks for this sentence:

BY THIS TIME IN MY IRONMAN TRAINING, I THOUGHT I’D BE ______________

1. Thinner. Ok. So I’ve lost 20 pounds over the last 7 months and gained some muscle mass. I am happy about that for sure, but definitely envisioned an Athena Jess with a six pack by this point instead of the pony keg I’m still sporting.

Shopping for a triathlon top this past weekend almost caused a nervous breakdown. Even with the quiet support of Pedro Swayze dutifully assisting at every tri store on the Westside, I pretty quickly lost my tentative hold on my mental health. Every shirt I was able to force on, clung to my torso for a desperate moment before rolling up like a window shade. Who needs to buy expensive separate compression clothing – EVERYthing was compression-wear.

One highlight: When a saleslady at tri zombies referred to me as “curvy.” Us curvy girls all know what that means.

Another highlight was when I was grasping at straws and somehow ended up with a men’s LARGE in my dressing room (granted, the brand 2XU is clearly geared towards 12 year old boys in any size). Me: “Ugh, I can’t even fit this thing over my head.” Pedro Swayze: “Baby, do you want me to get you an XL?” Me: “No, I do not fucking want you to get me a MEN’S EXTRA LARGE shirt.”

Graceful.

Here are 4 triathletes. Like me, they appear to enjoy their champagne post race. Unlike me, they fit into THEIR outfits nicely. But notice anything missing, besides body fat? (Hint: two words, starting with the letters T & A)

I feel like after 7 months of training I should have at least earned a women’s large, but apparently that will take 30 more pounds, a breast reduction, and starting my own triathlon clothing company that makes clothes designed for T&A. In fact, there’s the name of my new company: T&A Endurance Sports. Who wants to fund it?

2.Ready: Is the 1st time Ironman racer really EVER ready for their race? But seriously, the 3000 I swam on Sunday did NOT feel like the piece of cake I think it should have been at this point. My 6 mile run Saturday was no bueno.

And that’s the just physical part. Don’t get me started on the 30 lists I have made with all the supplies I need to buy and chores I need to complete, and barely one check mark made. I really could use a personal assistant for the next 4 days till my race.

3. Done Spending Money. Nope.

And there’s a reason there aren’t too many social worker triathletes like me.

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3 Responses

I LOVE the idea of T&A Endurance Sports!!! I would SO buy one of everything especially if there was muffin top eliminating tri shorts, how awesome would that be?! Good luck this weekend, you are gonna rock it! I can’t wait to read about your experience, after you’ve recovered enough to blog about it!

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The Athena Project: Then & Now

The Athena Project 2013
Newly *mostly* vegan.
Be a role model for having a healthy, active lifestyle and focusing on HEALTH, with weight loss as the potential nifty effect of living well.
Inspire others to take charge of living clean at any size!
Training captain for Summer TNT Triathlon team.

The Athena Project 2011-12:June 2nd - Half-Ironman in Kona, HIRace at 140!?2011-12 Results: Finished Honu 70.3. Weight continues to hover above 165. End of 2012 was a time of reflection. Health, not weight, may be the end game here.